AS soon as Chinese President Xi Jinping stepped on Malaysian soil recently for a state visit, it appears that all eyes were not on him but on the local Chinese.
At first, there was nothing unusual and all was calm and peaceful. No one unfurled the national flags of China from balconies or rooftops or trees or sang lustily the anthem of the communist state, no one sought his autograph, no one blew him kisses or went gaga over him—indeed the visit was rather muted.
But the calm was suddenly shattered. Some eagle eyes spotted something amiss in the frontpage of a newspaper. It depicted the Jalur Gemilang—the pride of the nation—without the crescent moon next to the flag of China. And a Chinese language daily to book!
The incident triggered a wave of unbridled anger and a burst of patriotism. There was even a demonstration outside the office of the culprit—Sin Chew Daily—with calls to revoke its licence.
It all happened at a time when anything that smacks of communist influence is abhorrent.
Xi represents the world’s most powerful communist nation and when a newspaper is perceived as showing no respect to the country’s flag while depicting accurately the Chinese flag (without missing a star), the only but erroneous conclusion that can be drawn is that Sin Chew Daily is not being patriotic to the core.
It doesn’t matter that the newspaper made an honest error but the fact that it went to town with Xi’s visit with mistake and all lent credence to the fallacious argument that it is leaning too much to the Middle Kingdom.
In Malaysia these days, people cannot tolerate anything “red”. Political “bounty hunters” are forever on the lookout for anyone with the slightest trace of red spots in their thoughts or deeds.
They look under the beds, in the cupboards, in every nook and corner, behind printed words, for signs in bodily language just so to catch these disloyal elements in society.
Today they sniffed out a newspaper, tomorrow they might discover images of communist personalities—dead or alive—in coffee shops, shopping malls, and restaurants.
The next day they might come up with some damning evidence of disloyalty in the new villages, in that, the residents love the land of their ancestors more than their new homeland.
In time to come, they might target mother-tongue schools for some bizarre reasons somehow linked to communist ideology and stridently campaign to shut down all such institutions in the name of “one education, one school”. This would be their ultimate prize.
Their “witch hunt” might even extend to tourists from China who have been heading here in great numbers, including those who want to make Malaysia their second home.
In the first six months of 2024, the number of visitors from China hit 2,285,785. Hence, this tourism boom provides another fertile ground for more nit-picking and fault-finding.
Perhaps, the holiday-makers might come under surveillance as soon as they checked into the immigration counters. Their luggage might be thoroughly scrutinised for any forbidden communist literature or materials.
For those who participate in the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, it is not too far-fetched to imagine Chinese nationals being placed under close watch in case they indulge in some dangerous activities that can influence young minds.
In this drama of the absurd, all manner of accusations and wild narratives can be hurled to warn people of the danger of this godless ideology.
But when Xi went home he projected the stark reality that no one can wish away the existence of China or wipe it out of the map of the world.
His visit is good for business and that’s all that matters. Set aside ideologies and each country can still do business and prosper together. – April 24, 2025
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: The Borneo Post
